MUSC Intramural Program - Eligibility and Player Information

• Persons eligible to play are MUSC students and their spouses, MUSC employees, and Wellness Center members.

Note: If you are not already a Wellness Center member, you must pay the intramural fee to play an intramural sport at the Wellness Center. The fee is $25.00 per sport per season and can be paid  at the Wellness Center Membership Desk. Please note that this fee is only for intramural play and not for use of any other Wellness Center facility or equipment use.

• All players must present a valid MUSC ID to the intramural coordinator on duty or referee before beginning play. If a player who is eligible does not have an MUSC ID (e.g. student spouse or wellness center member), they must present a valid government issued photo id. Students and MUSC Faculty and Staff who fail to bring their MUSC ID will not be allowed to play. 
• There are 2 leagues set up for each intramural sport: Competitive and Co-Rec. Anyone is eligible to play in either league, but the Co-Rec league requires a minimum number of females on the court/field at all times.
• Completed rosters for the first week of play will be due by the Wednesday before the first week of play unless otherwise stated.
• Additions to rosters will be accepted through the first half of a season and a specified date will be given with each sport each season. Additions may be made by emailing the participants, name and affiliation to MUSC to intramurals@musc.edu.
• If any unrostered player plays after the deadline to add players, all games in which they participate will be forfeited.

Family members or friends of Intramural players who are not members of the Wellness Center may be interested in watching a game. Spectators are welcome to attend games, but due to the limited space of facility and the lack of bleachers, we ask that they abide by the following rules:

• Spectators must sign-in at the membership desk and leave immediately following the game
• Spectators are not allowed to use any equipment or facilities in the Wellness Center
• Children under the age of 18 are not allowed in the facility
• Spectators are asked to sit at the benches between the entry doors to the gym
• Spectators are not allowed to view from anywhere on the second floor area including on the indoor track or any area where exercise equipment is located

Intramural guests found abusing the privilege of spectating will be asked to leave the Center. Further disciplinary action will be at the discretion of the Wellness Center Director. 

The team that a spectator is present to watch is responsible for their conduct and will be held responsible for their actions.  It is the responsibility of each team captain to insure that any spectator who is not a Wellness Center member leave the facility upon completion of their scheduled game. Any team whose player violates this rule through unauthorized use of the Wellness Center will be eliminated from the league.

Intramurals Sportsmanship Policy

Preamble

The following is pertaining to all sports sanctioned, sponsored, and/or supplemented by the ʯÁñÊÓƵ»ÆÉ«°æ Student Government Association.   As a MUSC intramural participant both MUSC students and participants are representatives of this University.   Furthermore, students represent their chosen profession, and school.   Therefore, proper decorum is mandatory at all times.   It is important that students have the right to a positive environment in which they can enjoy their participation in intramurals.   In order to continue in the tradition, all students should embrace enjoyable and friendly competition while maintaining sportsmanlike conduct on and off the field.  

Policy

For a minor infraction resulting in ejection from the game, the alleged offender is to sit out the current game and the following game in that sport.   Three minors incurred within a calendar year will constitute in a major infraction.  

For a major infraction resulting in ejection from the game, the onsite intramural coordinators will be immediately notified and they will present the information to the Student Programs Coordinator within FIVE days.   The alleged offender is to be disqualified from participating in any and all MUSC intramurals for the remainder of that year and be placed on intramural probation for the remainder of his/her tenure at MUSC.   The Student Programs Coordinator will notify the alleged offender and the player's college Dean's Office, specifically the Associate Dean of the major infraction.   In order to return to play while on intramural probation, the alleged offender is required to write a letter of apology to the President of the MUSC-SGA, the Referee(s), and the Associate Dean of the college in which the alleged offender is enrolled.   If the alleged offender commits a second major infraction he/she will be automatically disqualified from participating in any sports, sanctioned, sponsored, and/or supplemented by MUSC-SGA.

In the case of a Major Infraction, the alleged offender may request an appeal hearing within 5 days of the alleged event.   This hearing will consist of the alleged offender, both intramural coordinators, and the Student Programs Coordinator.   At this meeting the alleged offender will be given a chance to present his version of the incident.   Written statements will be accepted/or invited from witnesses.   A report from the presiding referee will be presented at the hearing.   At the conclusion of the hearing, the two intramural coordinators and the Student Programs Coordinator will discuss the event and vote on whether to sustain or dismiss the major infraction or determine further consequences (i.e. future suspension from games, reinstatement for that season, etc.).   This decision is final and is up to the discretion of this committee.

For Non-MUSC players eligible for participation in MUSC intramurals, one major infraction would result in the indefinite loss of privilege to participate in any sport sanctioned, sponsored, or supplemented by MUSC SGA.

Definitions

Minor Infraction: Verbally aggressive language (beyond “trash-talking”), intoxication, aggression with an inanimate object (kicking a ball at the wall, etc), any non-fighting expulsion as defined under major infraction.

Major Infraction:   Fighting or physical actions with malicious intent.

Year: A year is defined as a calendar year beginning on the date the major infraction occurred and ending on that date the following year.

Intramural Probation: Intramural Probation is to last the remaining tenure at MUSC.   If another major infraction occurs the alleged offender is automatically disqualified from participating in any sports sanctioned, sponsored, and/or supplemented by MUSC-SGA.

Author: Aaron Embry of MUSC-SGA

Last Updated: April 13, 2006 

Mission:

To provide a quality offering of organized sports to the MUSC Community that delivers a healthy environment and an opportunity to develop and refine transferable skill sets that are vital to today’s healthcare professionals. 

Values: 

• We are devoted to the overall development of each member of the MUSC community and work towards maximizing all dimensions of an individual’s well-being including their physical, emotional, and social wellness.
• We support our educational mission by encouraging the acquisition of transferable skills sets such as leadership development, working in a team setting, appreciation of diverse groups and the promotion of life balance.
• We respect each student, faculty, staff and community member as an individual and hold their safety and well-being as a top priority.
• We appreciate the value of diversity, promote the understanding and mutual respect of personal and cultural differences and strive to provide an inclusive environment in everything we do.
• We are committed to continuous and constant improvement in the programs we offer and strive to be efficient and effective with our resources by providing the highest quality programming.

Philosophy: 

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, students perform better in school and often achieve better grades if they participate in vigorous physical activity, especially in organized sports programs (ACSM, 2006). As a leading healthcare university, we at MUSC understand the importance of this concept and offer a wide range of co-curricular recreational opportunities that aid in the full development of our students. Students who use recreational sports facilities, programs and service persist at a higher rate than those who do not and intramural programs provide a powerful medium for student interaction (Belch, Gebel & Mass, 2001). We will strive to promote the participation in these activities to maximize every student’s ability to perform at their highest level as well as eventually convey this philosophy to the populations they serve.  

The American College of Sports Medicine links physical activity with grades -- Sports-minded children score higher in school. The Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine.  Oct 1, 2006 v23 i10 p740.  

Belch, H. A., Gebel, M., & Mass, G. M. (2001). Relationship between student recreation complex use, academic performance, and persistence of first-time freshmen. NASPA Journal, 38 (2), 254–268.

The intramural program at the ʯÁñÊÓƵ»ÆÉ«°æ was developed in 1982 when the demand for organized sports was expressed by the student body. The MUSC Student Government Association was the original sponsor of the intramural programs and saw the need to provide a set of programs that promoted physical activity and the opportunity for social interaction outside of the classroom. They set aside a small amount of their budget to use to offer  sports for their students. With the establishment of a demand from the student body, the program continued to grow with the additions of other sports including flag football, softball and volleyball. Since then, the program has evolved to meet the needs of the ever changing student body and most recently, indoor soccer was added in 2012. The program is currently managed by one full time staff member and 3 student intramural coordinators and the intramural program resides in the MUSC Wellness Center.